Overview
- President Trump invoked a federal statute authorizing him to “federalize” the state National Guard under a rebellion provision and ordered up to 2,000 troops to Los Angeles without Gov. Newsom’s approval.
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta lodged a lawsuit arguing the deployment breaches both the U.S. Constitution and state sovereignty by bypassing the governor.
- The demonstrations, which began after ICE arrested more than 100 immigrants in workplace raids, have involved clashes with police, vehicle fires and the use of tear gas and rubber bullets.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth placed Marines at Camp Pendleton on high alert and indicated active-duty troops could be mobilized if unrest continues.
- This marks the first federal activation of a state’s National Guard without the governor’s request in 60 years, underscoring the depth of the federal-state standoff over immigration enforcement.